Emergency crews are taking their skills to the hills.
Silver Star Mountain Resort hosts the third annual Emergency Services Day Saturday, Jan. 21 in the village.
Emergency Services team demonstrations are scheduled every half hour through the day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Vernon Search and Rescue will start the excitement with a snow shelter demonstration at 9 a.m. and close the day with a motor vehicle rescue at 3:30 p.m.
“We run active and static displays all day long,” said Brad Baker, Silver Star’s director of operations, who is also a Silver Star firefighter. “It’s all free and it’s all displayed in the village or very close to the village."
Crews from Vernon, Central Okanagan and Shuswap SAR, RCMP, BC Dragoons, St. John’s Ambulance and more will perform key demonstrations. The event is free to the public, plus $20 from every adult, full-day lift ticket sold for the day will be donated to the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation.
“VJH Foundation is excited to partner again with SilverStar Mountain Resort for Emergency Services Day. SilverStar is a long-time supporter of VJH Foundation, donating more than $65,000 to help make health care better for residents in the North Okanagan,” said Sue Beaudry, VJH Foundation Director of Development.
Silver Star also offers half-price skiing for the day to emergency services staff or their family members (with proof).
“It celebrates and thanks all the emergnecy services and personnel in the area,” said Baker.
One highlight among the demos is SAR.
“The winch rescue is quite a popular one,” said Baker. “They do a winch rescue right in the village.”
SAR also traditionally builds a snowfort to show outdoor enthusiasts how to survive the elements if they are lost.
Silver Star and BX-Swan Lake firefighters also combine forces to demonstrate a vehicle extraction using the jaws of life.
“We also have fire extinguisher training throughout the day,” said Baker.
And the police dog services is another popular presentation as they take down another member with a dog.
Silver Star’s ski patrol also performs a mock lift evacuation. Many of those members are also SAR volunteers and/or fire department members.
There will also be information booths in the village for anyone interested in learning more about what emergency services teams do and the equipment they use in their work.
The day is capped off with the Silver Star Fireman’s FUN-raiser at the Chilcoot Conference Centre at 7 p.m.
The event includes cocktails and canapes, musical talents by The Sonny Boys and a photobooth by Flash and Frame.
For tickets, visit http://www.ssfiredept.com/fireman-s-fundraiser
Emergency Services Day schedule of events
9 a.m.: Snow Shelter Demonstration
10 a.m.: CPR Demo & Training
10:10 a.m.: Extinguish a Fire
10:30 a.m.: Rope Rescue
11 a.m.: Trauma Scenario
Noon: Lift Evacuation
12:30 p.m.: Heli Winch Rescue
1 p.m.: RCMP Police Dog Demonstration
1:30 p.m.: Extinguish a Fire
2 p.m. Beacon Search
2:30 p.m.: Rope Rescue
3 p.m.: Heli Winch Rescue
3:30 p.m.: Motor Vehicle Accident